Kyle Snyder defeated Adam Coon of Michigan twice this past season (Photo/Richard Immel)Kyle Snyder just added yet another honor to his wrestling resume.
The three-time NCAA heavyweight champ and 2016 Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling has been named one of two Ohio State athletes to earn the 2018 Medal of Honor award for Big Ten athletes.
Snyder, along with former Buckeye women's basketball star Kelsey Mitchell, were named recipients of the honor at Ohio State's Scarlet and Graymies awards Tuesday evening.
Each year, the Big Ten Medal of Honor is awarded to one male athlete and one female athlete from the graduating class of each of the 14 universities in the conference to recognize both athletic and academic excellence. The award dates back to 1915.
Snyder concluded his collegiate mat career last month at the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Cleveland by becoming only the fifth three-time NCAA heavyweight champ in the nearly 90-year history of the tournament. In addition, the Maryland native won three consecutive Big Ten heavyweight titles (2016-2018). Snyder's 75-5 overall college record helped the Buckeyes win three Big Ten conference crowns as well as the 2015 NCAA team title.
In addition to these collegiate mat accomplishments, Snyder also made a name for himself in the international freestyle wrestling, winning a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and two World championships, all while enrolled at Ohio State. In fact, Snyder is the only wrestler to have won Olympic gold then follow up with an NCAA title.
Snyder's athletic prowess is accompanied by excellence in the classroom. While at Ohio State, he was also a three-time NWCA (National Wrestling Coaches Association) Academic All-American, and recently became just the fourth wrestler to ever win the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) Sullivan Award, presented each year since 1930 to the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States.
Snyder is not the only wrestler to have earned a 2018 Medal of Honor from the Big Ten. University of Illinois wrestling champ Isaiah Martinez was also presented with the award this week.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now